Technology

New phone scam trap: The chilling voicemail message you should never call back

Thousands of Australians around the country have been victims of a new voicemail scam that once listened to, will stop you dead in your tracks.

The voicemail is of a robotic-sounding voice threatening a lawsuit against the receiver and advising them to call back immediately.

If the recipient chooses to ignore the call, the voicemail claims that an arrest warrant will be issued.

But the chilling voicemail, which demands the victim to pay off their tax debt, has already racked up thousands of dollars from those who fell into the trap.

According to authorities, those who are more susceptible to falling for the elaborate scam are elderly people as they are more likely to believe the voicemail, and once they call back, they are threatened by the fraudsters.

“The reason behind this call is that there is a lawsuit case getting filed under your name,” says the computer-generated message.

“The moment you get this message I want you to get back to me on my department division number. Now, if we don’t hear from you, we have to issue an arrest warrant under your name and get you arrested so get back to me as soon as possible. Thank you.”

A reporter received a call on Wednesday with the number 08 6102 5755. But since then, the number is no longer in use by the scammers.

Since July 1, the Australian Taxation Office has been alerted of 28,000 scam attempts, including this latest lawsuit phone call.

Speaking to news.com.au, Kath Anderson, the ATO’s Assistant Commissioner, said those committing fraud are becoming smarter and are finding cunning ways to exploit those who are vulnerable.

The phone numbers are always Australian numbers with this particular scam carrying Western Australia and Victoria area codes.

But according to police, the scammers are most likely calling from overseas and using a call forwarding service to obtain Australian numbers.

“Be wary if someone contacts you demanding payment of a tax debt you didn’t know you owed,” said Ms Anderson.

“Our advice is simple – the ATO will never ask you to make a payment into an ATM or via gift or prepaid cards such as iTunes and Visa cards, or direct credit to be paid to a personal bank account.”